In an intensely active community like the Bow Valley there are a dizzying array of athletic pursuits available. Traditional winter sports like hockey and downhill skiing share the scene with biathlon and ice climbing, among many others.
In an intensely active community like the Bow Valley there are a dizzying array of athletic pursuits available. Traditional winter sports like hockey and downhill skiing share the scene with biathlon and ice climbing, among many others.
In summer, the options are equally diverse and participants in every season range from weekend warrior to aspiring Olympian. At the core of all that motion is a program designed to keep everyone out on the field or rink or trail.
Broadly defined, cross training means being trained in more than one role or skill. Pete Cooper, a certified personal trainer at Athletic Evolution in Canmore, explains how the idea relates to sports.
“In layman's terms it can be described as multi-faceted training.”
To illustrate his point, Cooper used triathlon – swimming, cycling and running combined in a single race – as an example.
“Cross training would be training for all those different events in order to be a good all-rounder,” Cooper said.
The concept of cross training dates back as far as the first Olympic Games in Greece, where athletes participated in a number of disciplines similar to the modern decathlon. Sport has become highly specialized since then, but the underlying principles remain.
“In Greece, there was one guy doing a multitude of sports,” Cooper said, “and it required a lot of multi-faceted training. They're all different from each other. So when you think of a modern day decathlete now, they're in fantastic shape. They're great all-rounders. That is at the heart of what cross training is.”
But cross training isn't just for elite athletes competing in complicated combinations of sports. Physical activity is body mechanics, and to be proficient, specific activities require specific movements performed over and over and over again.
“Inherently what happens over a period of time, without the right training protocol, is your body will break down,” Cooper said.
So part of the challenge for overall health and wellness is undoing that specificity inherent in modern sport and recreation. Balancing the system to avoid injury, stagnation and burnout is a key component to every training and fitness program, at all levels. Modern cross training tries to address those challenges.
To accomplish this, corrective exercises are performed to stop the body from dominating in one plane of movement. Activities that are executed primarily in one plane, like the front and back effort of running and cycling, are especially susceptible to discomfort or injury as a result of muscle imbalances.
As a counter to the prime movers like the quads and glutes, opposing muscle groups and smaller stabilizers are targeted to maintain equilibrium.
“When you're cross training you're trying to create a balance within the body,” Cooper said.
Sitting in on a 9 a.m. group class was a high tempo affair, complete with music in the background set at a volume designed to keep everyone pumped up. Even if you weren't performing a series of exercises, you would still be motivated to move.
At the same time it wasn't just go, go, go. This was a strength-oriented session with a circuit-training component incorporated for maximum effect. Twelve stations were set to target specific muscle groups in a sequence designed for overall balance and strength in the three planes of movement. Forward and backward, side to side and rotational.
Traditional weight training exercises like deadlifts and dumbbell bench presses were mixed in with mountain climbers in combination with a Bosu ball, an agility ladder and a standing leap in place with a 180 degree twist.
Intense bursts were followed by short rest periods in transition between stations. A workout was created that fell below the threshold of “all out effort,” which could never be sustained for an entire hour-long class. After a water break and a round of speed skaters and jump ups, the entire circuit was repeated.
Afterward, I spoke with Kyle Pressman, who is participating in his fourth 12-week program. Mountain biking and snowboarding are his preferred outdoor activities and he uses cross training for base fitness.
“Most people who have been here for a while get upset if they miss the class,” Pressman said, “because you really feed off it. I'm quite cautious about what I do the night before the class, and I prep everything for the morning as well. If you do your three days a week, you feel great. It's addicting for sure.”
Classes run Monday, Wednesday and Friday as a way to balance high intensity activity with adequate rest. The schedule also allows each participant enough time to go out and enjoy their primary activity of choice.
To find out more about cross training options in the valley, contact your local gym or fitness centre. Individual and group sessions are widely available.
